The movie's initial script was written by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (both Tower Heist), with Steven Zaillian (American Gangster) now having signed up to rewrite it.

The plan is reportedly for Scott to begin work on Exodus immediately after he has completed The Counsellor.

Discussing the movie last year, Scott said: "What's interesting to me about Moses isn't the big stuff that everybody knows. It's things like his relationship with Ramesses [II, the pharaoh].

"I honestly wasn't paying attention in school when I was told the story of Moses. Some of the details of his life are extraordinary."

Bale was also recently reported to be close to signing for disaster film Everest.

Photo gallery - Christian Bale's career in pictures:

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Empire of the Sun (1987) At age 13, Bale made his breakthrough in Steven Spielberg's coming-of-age war film, playing a newly orphaned boy who's imprisoned in a Japanese camp during World War II. His performance was widely praised and even inspired the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures to create a new award  Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor  specifically to honour him.
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